Unisys has been awarded $1.4 million to provide secure email and identity management services to the employees of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS). Unisys will design, develop, and implement Active Directory (AD) and Microsoft Exchange and provide identity management support for the 18,000 CIS employees. Unisys will also help design a user authentication and public key infrastructure (PKI) solution. The company also will assist with support in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data centers and with the Core Enterprise Suite, a financial and procurement system used by DHS agencies to process vendor invoices and payments for homeland security initiatives.
The email and identity management services were awarded under a DHS Enterprise Acquisition Gateway for Leading Edge Solutions (EAGLE) contract, which came out of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12. HSPD-12 requires that the federal government adopt a standard for issuing secure and reliable forms of identification to federal employees and contractors. Many agencies are turning to various vendors for help with identity management, particularly with smart card technology, to comply with HSPD-12. Industry analysts believe the impact of HSPD-12 will extend beyond government implementation to the commercial sector as well, accelerating the development and use of smart cards and other identity management solutions.
To learn about the USDA’s take on HSPD-12, visit http://hspd12.usda.gov/about.html.
To learn more about EAGLE, go to the DHS site at http://www.dhs.gov/xopnbiz/opportunities/editorial_0700.shtm.
To learn more about identity management and authentication, see
“Cross-Platform Identity Management Solutions for Single Sign-On” http://windowsitpro.com/article/articleid/96592/cross-platform-identity-management-solutions-for-single-sign-on.html
“Smart Card Driver's License Revs Up Identity Assurance” http://windowsitpro.com/article/articleid/100635/smart-card-drivers-license-revs-up-identity-assurance.html
“What You Need to Know About More Vista Security Technologies” http://windowsitpro.com/article/articleid/95456/what-you-need-to-know-about-more-vista-security-technologies.html
“SharePoint Security Evolution” http://windowsitpro.com/article/articleid/94335/sharepoint-security-evolution.html